System and Method to Monitor and Control Remote Sensors and Equipment

1. A self-sustaining, autonomous, monitoring, reporting, and control system, comprising: a processor; a memory; a communications bus operationally coupled to the processor and the memory; a first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a first telecommunications standard; a second radio transceiver, different from the first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a second telecommunications standard, different from the first telecommunications standard; a plurality of wired ports, each of the plurality of wired ports defining one of a first plurality of data channels, each one of the first plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via a respective telecommunications adapter; a plurality of wireless ports, each of the plurality of wireless ports defining one of a second plurality of data channels, each of the second plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via the second radio transceiver; a power system configured to convert energy into respective operating voltages for at least the processor, the memory, and the first and second radio transceivers and store excess energy; and electrical circuits, configured as surge protectors, coupled to each of the plurality of wired ports, an antenna of the first radio transceiver, an antenna of the second radio transceiver, and a power distribution network of the power system, to protect electrical components of the self-sustaining, autonomous, monitoring, reporting, and control system from an overvoltage, wherein the processor receives unencrypted data from the first and second pluralities of data channels, packages the unencrypted data into predefined unencrypted data structures, and forwards the packaged unencrypted data to the second radio transceiver, where the packaged unencrypted data is transmitted according to the second telecommunications standard.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first radio transceiver is an industrial, scientific, and medical (ISMS) modem.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second radio transceiver is a mobile cellular telephone transceiver.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power system comprises: a collection device configured to collect energy from a renewable energy source and convert the energy into electrical power; a rechargeable battery, operationally coupled to the collection device and configured to store the electrical power; and a charging/controlling converter, configured to charge the rechargeable battery and convert the stored electrical power to a predefined voltage to operate the system.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the energy is renewable and the renewable energy is the only source of energy for the system.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein both the first radio transceiver and the second radio transceiver are terrestrial radio transceivers.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first radio transceiver and the second radio transceiver is a satellite radio transceiver.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an audio communication system configured to support voice communication between an entity proximal to the system and an entity remote to the system, the audio communication system comprising: an audio communication input device operationally coupled to the second radio transceiver; and an audio communication output device operationally coupled to the second radio transceiver.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the audio communication input device is a microphone and the audio communication output device is a speaker.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the system further comprises: a main circuit board, wherein the main circuit board: supports one or more of: Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), RS-232, and RS-422/RS-485 for wired communications, and has sockets for cellular and industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) radio modems for wireless communications; and an interchangeable circuit board, wherein the processor and components required by the processor to operate as a computer system are included on the interchangeable circuit board, and the interchangeable circuit board is removably connected to, receives all input from, and provides output to, the main circuit board.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein unencrypted data packaged into predefined data structures is transferred from the second radio transceiver to the processor, unpackaged according to instructions stored in the memory, and forwarded to one or more of the first and second pluralities of data channels.

12. A self-sustaining, autonomous, monitoring, reporting, and control system, comprising: a processor; a memory; a communications bus operationally coupled to the processor and the memory; a first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a first telecommunications standard; a second radio transceiver, different from the first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a second telecommunications standard, different from the first telecommunications standard; a plurality of wired ports, each of the plurality of wired ports defining one of a first plurality of data channels, each one of the first plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via a respective telecommunications adapter; a plurality of wireless ports, each of the plurality of wireless ports defining one of a second plurality of data channels, each of the second plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via the second radio transceiver; a power system configured to convert energy into respective operating voltages for at least the processor, the memory, and the first and second radio transceivers and store excess energy; a local data entry device operationally coupled to the processor and configured to receive a command to be executed by the processor from an entity proximal to the system; and a local data output device operationally coupled to the processor and configured to display a result of execution of the command to the entity proximal to the system, wherein the processor receives unencrypted data from the first and second pluralities of data channels, packages the unencrypted data into predefined unencrypted data structures, and forwards the packaged unencrypted data to the second radio transceiver, where the packaged unencrypted data is transmitted according to the second telecommunications standard.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein: the local data entry device is one of a push-button, a touch screen, and a keyboard; and the local data output device is one of a light emitting diode (LED) display and a liquid crystal display (LCD) display.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first radio transceiver is an industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) modem.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the second radio transceiver is a mobile cellular telephone transceiver.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein unencrypted data packaged into predefined data structures is transferred from the second radio transceiver to the processor, unpackaged according to instructions stored in the memory, and forwarded to one or more of the first and second pluralities of data channels.

17. A self-sustaining, autonomous, monitoring, reporting, and control system, comprising: a processor; a memory; a communications bus operationally coupled to the processor and the memory; a first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a first telecommunications standard; a second radio transceiver, different from the first radio transceiver, operationally coupled to the processor and operating according to a second telecommunications standard, different from the first telecommunications standard; a plurality of wired ports, each of the plurality of wired ports defining one of a first plurality of data channels, each one of the first plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via a respective telecommunications adapter; a plurality of wireless ports, each of the plurality of wireless ports defining one of a second plurality of data channels, each of the second plurality of data channels coupled to the communications bus via the second radio transceiver; and a power system configured to convert energy into respective operating voltages for at least the processor, the memory, and the first and second radio transceivers and store excess energy, wherein the processor receives unencrypted data from the first and second pluralities of data channels, packages the unencrypted data into predefined unencrypted data structures, and forwards the packaged unencrypted data to the second radio transceiver, where the packaged unencrypted data is transmitted according to the second telecommunications standard, and wherein the processor is configured to execute commands that reduce power consumption of the system from a predefined nominal level to less than or equal to a maximum predefined low level, which is less than the predefined nominal level, during preplanned periods of inactivity.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first radio transceiver is an industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) modem.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the second radio transceiver is a mobile cellular telephone transceiver.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein unencrypted data packaged into predefined data structures is transferred from the second radio transceiver to the processor, unpackaged according to instructions stored in the memory, and forwarded to one or more of the first and second pluralities of data channels.